Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Auto Club 400
http://fantasy.usatoday.com/2015/03...-sleepers-busts-kevin-harvick-brad-keselowski
The Sprint Cup Series will wrap up its early-season West Coast swing this weekend with a trip to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
The D-shaped oval is one of two tracks on the schedule that features a 2.0-mile layout, and while ACS has slightly less banking than its sister track, Michigan International Speedway, it still features a wide, multi-grooved racing surface that allows drivers to run down near the apron, up by the wall and everywhere in between. The wide track surface also leads to long green-flag runs, and races at ACS can often come down to fuel mileage strategy.
Stud of the Week
Kevin Harvick
He followed up his victory at Las Vegas with a win at Phoenix last weekend, and Harvick has now joined Richard Petty and David Pearson as the only drivers in series history to finish either first or second in seven consecutive races. Perhaps more importantly, he has also scored more points than any other driver at two-mile tracks over the past three seasons.
Start ?em
Carl Edwards
Edwards has been a model of consistency at Auto Club Speedway, and in 17 starts at the track, he has amassed 14 top-10 finishes, including four in a row. He has also finished sixth or better at ACS 12 times so he offers plenty of upside to go along with his reliability.
Brian Vickers
Auto Club Speedway has been one of Vickers? best tracks in recent years. Since 2007, he has finished 12th or better in eight of his nine starts at ACS, and he has finished eighth and seventh in his last two starts. Vickers also owns a top 15 driver rating at the track.
Kurt Busch
He returned from his suspension in a big way last weekend, logging a top-five finish at Phoenix in his first start of the year. Busch should continue to make up for lost time Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, where he has notched six top-10s in his last eight starts, including back-to-back top-five finishes.
Martin Truex Jr.
While his record at Auto Club Speedway isn?t overly impressive, Truex is off to the best start of his career, and he and his Furniture Row Racing team appear to have a great feel for the new rules package being used in 2015. He has an average finish of 5.8 through four races and hasn?t finished worse than eighth. Stick with the hot hand this weekend.
Park ?em
Brad Keselowski
Keselowski has established himself as one of the best drivers in the series, but Auto Club Speedway remains a trouble spot. He has a 23.3 average finish in six starts at the track, and he is still looking for his first top-15 finish.
Denny Hamlin
He has had some strong cars at Auto Club Speedway, but Hamlin never seems to be able to avoid trouble here. He has managed just one top-10 in his last six starts at the track, and he has finished 25th or worse four times during the same stretch. For his career, Hamlin has just a single top-five finish in 13 starts at ACS.